Harassment is one of those dramas that keeps us glued to our seats until the end, when the credits roll. In the plot, we have the classic story of the teacher accused of sexual harassment of a minor. Despite being a common theme in both fiction and reality – see the daily news – Harassment manages to touch on the subject with delicacy and class, even without needing a star cast. Following the playbook of contemporary television films, the plot relies on the staging and technical aspects of the script, photography and lighting to make the harrowing story a worthy work of art.
The film opens following the traditional narrative guide: general shots of the city and the local trees, alluding to the film's original title, The Green. Mr. Michael Gavin (Jason Butler Harner) is a dedicated teacher who takes care of his students as if they were his own children, especially Jason (Christopher Bert), a promising young man who suffers from bullying attacks daily. Worried about the boy's academic condition, that he is about to lose his scholarship. Later, he will be accused by Jason's family, who allege sexual abuse by the teacher.
Soon, people begin to look back and remember the scenes of the two, teacher and student, in the school corridors and interpretations and extrapolations begin to emerge: had the teacher abused his student? And those hands on the shoulder? The encouraging pats on the back? Can or cannot a teacher have contact beyond verbal contact with their students? These are not the only problems: Mr. Michael is an open homosexual and has lived with his partner Daniel (Cheyenne Jackson) for 15 years. In the midst of a prejudiced society that maintains abusive stereotypes, this could be an item that contributed to the conviction of the teacher, who at this point in the narrative had already been removed from school, moved to another city and looked for a good lawyer to defend his case.
Another problem is the distraught Janete, the boy's mother. She had recently started to have a relationship with Leo, a man she had recently met at AA meetings. We soon realize that there is something wrong with this individual, who refers to people with arrogance and is always framed in the foreground, with his concealed gaze. An interesting detail is the construction of this character, whether intentional or not, such is the similarity with the killer from the film Kalifornia, played with dignity by Brad Pitt in 1994. We will understand later whether or not this character is a catalyst for the drama proposed by the film.
In terms of technical aspects, Assédio is exquisite: the stories that revolve around the central theme, sexual abuse and conviction, are balanced, linked to the context, not just appearing as excesses. In addition to suffering from the drama of public humiliation, Michael needs to deal with the advanced cancer of his best friend Trish (Illeana Douglas), with an accusation of betrayal in the past, balancing his partner who supports him at all times, the computer confiscated by the police, fully charged, losing his book in an advanced stage of writing. The productions, as previously mentioned, are a show in themselves, in addition to the excellent lighting, photography and editing.
Great for thinking about the technical analysis of the film, Assédio flirts with the color green, just like its title, The Green. The green cup of tea, the clothes of some characters, the general shots, framing the natural green of the city's trees and plantations. Green gives us the idea of hope. It is the basic meaning of color in the main symbology and meaning manuals. Applied to the film, we realize that the character has hope that all the confusion that arose due to the accusations will be resolved and he can have a normal life.
Harassment is one of those films that reiterate the idea that to be good entertainment, it doesn't necessarily need special effects and fancy action scenes. It is a film with high doses of reflection and that proposes the discussion about desires, not discussing them in a hypocritical way, as many productions do. The professor has his share of "errors" in the plot, but he accepts this and confronts his "incorrect" acts in the past, even if belatedly.
At 90 minutes long, Harassment is enjoyable and presents questions about love, friendship, ethics and respect for others. The film does not just discuss prejudice and other stereotypes about homosexuals. The plot also discusses, albeit lightly, marriage between homosexuals. But to know more about it, you need to watch it yourself. Check out.
Nota 09
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*Leonardo Campos writes biweekly in this space about cinema and DVD releases. He is a researcher in cinema, literature and culture at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and professor of literature.
